Stressed about something that can’t be changed

I know that I was exactly where I needed to be and wanted to be, spending the last year with my dying father. I tried to keep my business on track during that time but I wasn’t able to do what I would have done. My production was late by months because I couldn’t raise money in time or even spend the time on it. For the last 4 months after he died I’ve been working at 100% effort and speed to get things back on track. And I did make things happen and I am still in business. I want to celebrate that but the numbers and the level of growth reflect that something went wrong. I did get 7 new wholesale accounts but I didn’t have the halloween costumes from my factory until mid September which is terrible. When I start raising money again in January I’m worried about how this looks, that I won’t be able to and even if I could explain this time with him and my grief afterwards I don’t want to. I just think it’s strange that I know big picture of life that it was the right thing for him and for me. But I can’t shake this feeling of shame and failure and insecurity and I really wish I could.

 

 

Answer:

Be gentle with yourself, but stop believing you can’t shake the feelings. You are creating them, therefore you can let them go if and when you want to. That thought just blocks you. Why don’t you want to explain why you made the choices you did? Take a minute and look at your values. Ask yourself if what you did over the last year aligns with them. Really get curious and explore how you did exactly what was right for you, your business and your family.

Imagine an alternate universe where you did not take care of your father nor did you grieve his loss because you were solely focused on a business goal. How would that feel to you? What would you think about yourself then? Be honest and open and see what comes up for you.

The great thing is, you have a few months to clean up your thinking before January. You get to decide how you’ll show up, what you’ll share and what you won’t. You get to absolutely believe that all of this happened for you. You can’t even imagine waht’s in store for you. You don’t have to worry because you have you. The question is: How do you want to treat yourself starting today? What’s happened is in the past. Halloween is come and gone. Now you get to decide what story you tell about your choices.